5 Things You Need to Know About Creating Viral Videos on LinkedIn
I have a confession to make…
I don’t like doing videos.
I don’t like talking to camera.
I don’t like bad lighting making me look like this…
But I realised something to change.
My articles weren’t getting as many views.
My written posts were reaching 17 people.
So Tristan Watkins, Founder of Terrific Digital, introduced me to native video on LinkedIn after he did 30 days of video posts on the platform (his article is still in the works; I’ve been asking him to do it on his findings! 😉)
He set me a challenge: One video per day for 30 days (weekdays only).
He helped me with some questions people may like to know about copywriting.
And so I started my 30 day challenge (which has now spiralled into 60 days).
Why LinkedIn is “the” B2B platform
So let’s dive into why you have to be on LinkedIn if you’re B2B… because 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn.
80%!
Check out these impressive LinkedIn stats:
- 630 million users
- 2 new members every second
- 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn
- 10% of users are in decision-making decisions
Pretty incredible, right?
Why LinkedIn video?
I can hear you saying, “why bother with video at all?”
Well, LinkedIn video posts generate more than 300 million impressions on the platform.
And they help with conversion rates.
Video helps build rapport — and we all know, people like to buy from those they know, like, and trust.
Check out these stats:
- Video on landing pages can increase conversion rates by 80%
- After watching a video, 64% of users will buy the product online
- Real estate listings with a video will receive 403% more enquires than those without
So, doesn’t it make sense to try it on a platform with an algorithm that isn’t monetised or cluttered by influencers, too?
The nitty-gritty on the LinkedIn algorithm
Here’s an article on how the LinkedIn algorithm works, but to give you a simple breakdown:
- First, every time you post something, the LinkedIn algorithm determines if it’s good to go (i.e. not spam).
- Next, it will appear in the feed and the algorithm bots see how people are interacting with it.
- The algorithm then decides whether to keep showing it by looking at you and your network. If your network keeps engaging, LinkedIn will keep showing it.
- The last stage is where humans enter the process. Editors will take a look at your post and determine whether to keep showing it, or include it somewhere like a channel.
So if your post keeps getting engagement, it will stay in the mix on feed and continue to show up. That’s why you’ll sometimes see posts that are days old ﹘ something you’ll rarely see on other networks.
The secrets behind my post with 7,000+ views
Here’s the post. As of July 5, it has just over 7,000 views…
I posted this on a Tuesday and had 6,567 views by the Thursday of the same week, 52 likes and 106 comments.
I woke up on Wednesday morning to 37 LinkedIn notifications (!!), most of which were post comments, and about 10–12 new connection requests.
I received a notification that it was trending in #copywriting by the Wednesday afternoon.
In addition to how the LinkedIn algorithm works and having done video content (one per day every weekday) for two months now ﹘ all with varying degrees of success.
These elements of the video may have contributed to its viral reach (and you can use these too):
1. The length of the video.
One or two minutes maximum is about the attention span of users. Some people do get distracted in as little as 0.4 seconds, so keep it short, sweet and to the point. The video I posted was just over a minute in length, with no captions and long-form copy with emojis for the post copy. (Note: apparently “motivated” is the most overused word on LinkedIn.)
2. Mention sensitive topics, like gender.
I did mention gender in this video, only because I had had a previous experience with a male who proceeded to bully me via messages and email after I declined a strategy call because I felt his business wasn’t developed enough to the point where I could help him. This has been my experience with being visible online, and I know several women have felt the same way, so I mentioned this as I do believe the reaction was very “alpha male”.
3. Talk about topics that are relevant to your connections (and your peers).
I talked about lead generation and spammy messages, both of which are real pain points for my audience. Other topics like quitting your job, getting a raise or salary negotiation, and workplace discrimination seem to be viral topics for LinkedIn posts.
4. Use good hashtags.
I researched hashtags on LinkedIn and tried to use a mix of high-density and low-density hashtags to help them reach more people. In the end, it was the #copywriting that got the post trending.
5. Be polarizing.
I made this video on a whim on Sunday (yes, I prepare my videos but I don’t have a content calendar — I think of some questions people may like answers to). But I decided to just talk about my experience because in all honesty, I was annoyed and I wanted to give my opinion. I spoke with authenticity, and I spoke my mind. #NoFilter
So over to you — it’s time for you to try the 30 day video challenge on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to let me know how it works out for you and your business!
👭Let’s get connected on LinkedIn!
> I’d love to have you as part of my network, so add me here.
✏️Need some help with your LinkedIn profile or company page copywriting?
> Drop me a line via my Facebook Messenger bot, answer some simple questions about your business (so we get to know each other a little better), and I’ll get back to you!
